As the month of October winds down and November sits on the horizon, most adults (and many teenagers) have one thing on their mind: the midterm election. As November 6th approaches swiftly, registered high school seniors must answer the question, “Who am I to vote for?” As long as the person has turned 18 prior to the voters registration date – which is October 9th – they should accept their right and fulfill their civic duty, step into a polling place on November 6th, and vote.

After the 2016 election, voter registration numbers have increased due to a myriad of newly initiated campaigns that advocate for voter registration. These campaigns are targeted towards young voters. Putting out ads on social media sources such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Tumblr has also increased the voter registration number; social media companies have been running their own ads to promote voter registration and voting. These have had overwhelmingly positive effects. It has become clear that voting promotions from a company’s standpoint legitimizes voting for teenagers in such a digitalized world.  

Voters in high school are often uninformed, piggybacking off of their parents or friends views. Most are voting just to vote. “I’m choosing to vote because, why not?” Brendan Fabule ‘19 said. This is not the kind attitude the country needs; voters must accept and understand the responsibility of voting. It is a democratic right instilled within the foundation of our country.

As the political climate continues to heat up, the new voters, currently registering to vote in the midterm elections, must be informed about the decisions they are making. And being informed is a choice that all voters must make in order to keep integrity within the voting system. You should still vote. While choosing not to vote is still a choice, it will often times impact the other political party in a positive way. Every vote will impact the election, and can be the reason why candidates don’t win elections.

Usually those who don’t vote in elections are the ones who complain the most about about what is happening in D.C., such as laws that either get passed or don’t during elections. Those who don’t vote have no-one to blame but themselves. If you choose not to vote, and you get offended by proposals passed or candidates elected, there’s no-one to blame but yourself.

Regardless of whom you are voting for, it’s a public duty and privilege to vote in the midterm election. If you’ve turned eighteen before October 9th, you should be registered to vote on November 6th, regardless of your political preference.